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The unfortunate trend for E. coli and beef in late 2009 and 2010 continues. This evening, West MissourI Beef, LLC, a Rockville, Missouri beef company, recalled 14,000 pounds of boneless beef products due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Today’s recall brings the tally for recalled beef due to E. coli contamination to 1,636,000 pounds of beef
2,880,000 pounds of beef and sausage recalled since November 2009
Counting Friday’s sausage recall by Daniele International, Inc., food companies have recalled at least 2,880,000 pounds of meat products since November 2009 due to contamination by E. coli or Salmonella.
Friday’s recall: (from FSIS press release)
Daniele International Inc., an establishment with operations in Pascoag and Mapleville, R.I., is recalling approximately 1,240,000 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE)
Meat Trade News Daily misses only a couple
The Meat Trade News Daily misses only a couple major food safety issues (i.e. outbreaks) in yesterdays summary of ten major food stories in 2009. In the blog post, titled "USA – Food Safety a Bloody Disgrace," MTND includes:
1. Stephanie Smith’s E. coli O157:H7 and HUS illness from eating a contaminated Cargill ground beef patty. Stephanie has sued Cargill for
FSIS recommendations on tenderized beef . . . from 1999
In 1999, the USDA-FSIS asked the National Advisory Comittee for Microbiological for Foods whether tenderized beef presented increased risks of contamination by E. coli O157:H7. The answer, of course, was that it does, and that risks to consumer health increased correspondingly. See Recommendations.
This is not surprising, of course, nor is it particularly newsworthy
The Problem with Tenderized Beef
Injury issues aside (see John Mcdonalds HUS story), the problem with tenderized beef is that it internalizes bacteria from the surface of intact cuts of beef, thereby reducing the likelihood that cooking will serve as an effective kill step. The recent (ongoing???) outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to National Steak and Poultry products occurred